Sunday, November 27, 2016

Sunday, November 13, 2016

It's Sunday...
I promised myself I would start this blog earlier this week, but the tides of work and life smacked me around and left me disconcerted for the majority of my free time.

Part I:

Saw a movie called Hacksaw Ridge on Saturday with my older brother - he'd been meaning to see it sometime, but never got around to it. I was super grateful that he got me to come with. The movie, I would say, is graceful and eloquent. It follows the story of a soldier named Desmond Doss and how his faith played out in the wartime.

Preparation before witnessing the glory of all that is cinema.

Part II:

A ladybug crawled onto my finger today. Its tiny legs gingerly finding its way around the tree bark and my finger held me in wonder. What is life? What gives life? Where does it come from? We've lost a lot of the sense of wonder in this world. I wonder how we can bring it back?
....I'll see myself out.

*heavy breathing intensifies

Part III:

Along this week, for reasons unknown, my heart felt heavy all throughout. It felt tied down in some way, burdened. I think it was the collective angst of the campus atmosphere due to the election.
Or it might be my Bio 172 class. Oh my God I hate that class please someone save me

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

I recently got back from Compelling, a Christian conference that went from Friday (11/4) to Sunday (11/6) at MSU.

Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Brody's.

The course I took was 1 Thessalonians: Faith in Real Life.

Our group did inductive bible study at each of the sessions, and as we shared personal stories of how God was shaping our lives, we inevitably grew close to one another as well.

Observations and Questions

There were many lessons I learned, but one stood out the most which I wanted to share:

When we walk in our faith journey for a long time, faith can seem like a burden, as we feel we have to keep a strong face for our friends.We think we have to act a certain way to be "Christian", and to do so otherwise would turn our friends away Christianity. (It's weird how we think sometimes) Like a heavy bag that we carry on our back that weighs us down, faith doesn't seem to help us at all.

But the truth is, that faith can really be a friend that you lean on for support. A treasure that you go to in times of darkness, and a precious gift given to us by God. To grow, to water, and to nurture faith is essential, and when you allow it, faith can really touch the deeper parts of our hearts and minds.

How? Let me explain.

Personally, my faith journey has not been an easy one. My life has been filled with experiencesI count as more than I could ever handle: Depression, heartbreak, and family troubles being some to name specifically. Past experiences still haunt me today when I look over my shoulder. God can seem so unspeakably cruel.

And yet, for some reason, I hold on to faith, with faith, by the grace of God. Not because I'm courageous, and not because I'm tenacious, but because God chose to keep me in His arms. I don't know why He relentlessly pursues me, but I know there is nothing like His love.

I hope my faith can be like this awesome tree one day.

The message of a King who would give his only son for my imperfect, scarlet sinful life is life-changing. It's inspiring, encouraging, and most importantly, so incredibly humbling. It's something I so desperately seek to understand fully in my short time here on earth.

Don't run from uncertainty - run towards faith, and you will find yourself a better man for it.

Sincerely,

- Jinwoo Lee

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead."